When you think about the kind of people that are able photograph the surface of Mars and study it, perhaps you weren’t picturing a group of young students.
But thanks to a special project, that’s exactly who have the opportunity to be scientists studying another world. It’s called the Mars Student Imaging Project, or MSIP, and is offered by NASA and Arizona State University.
The program spans elementary school through college and includes students in grade five through their sophomore years in college. Through this valuable and free project, students gain hands-on experience with the scientific process. They design a research question, use real tools to operate the camera of a spacecraft orbiting Mars, and study the image it returns to make new discoveries. Students and their faculty facilitator work with NASA scientists, mission planners and educators.
One project completed by a group of 7th graders at Evergreen Middle School in Cottonwood, California, found what seems to be a hole in an underground lava tube. This was the first of its kind found on this volcano even though similar tubes have been found in other locations on Mars.
Students developed a question about the planet’s geology and targeted the camera on NASA’s Mars 2001 Odyssey spacecraft to capture an image. They studied the image and came up with new findings.
MSIP Martian pit. Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU
Other groups of students have researched wind, water, tectonics, ice, canyons, craters and volcanics on Mars.
Know someone looking to bring hands-on exciting space discoveries to their classroom? It’s a simple process. They decide on a format that best suits their needs, express interest in MSIP, download materials, read the FAQs, get online training if they desire, and then contact the staff! Click here to learn more.
The spacecraft used in MSIP is NASA’s 2001 Mars Odyssey orbiter. Its primary mission took place from 2002 to 2004, and the orbiter’s extended mission began on August 24, 2004.
Mars 2001 Odyssey. Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
The mission has taught us how numerous surface chemical elements and minerals are distributed and their quantities. It also led scientists to discover water ice below the surface at the planet’s polar regions. Furthermore, it recorded radiation in a low orbit around the planet as well as the risk posed by radiation to future human explorers.
Learn more about Mars 2001 Odyssey and its ongoing mission at NASA.gov.